EMC World 2014: Some Session Suggestions!

Finally procured a pass to EMC World 2014 and I am very excited to attend–this will be my 5th one in a row! Once again EMC World is in Las Vegas–you still have time to sign up–so if you haven’t please do! This post is going to center around session suggestions, I will do another concerning the goings-on at EMC World that are of note closer to the start of the conference.   Register for EMC World here: https://www.emcworldonline.com/2014/portal/newreg.ww And check out the full session catalog here: https://www.emcworldonline.com/2014/connect/search.ww There are soooo many great sessions that I can’t list them all here. I’ve chosen a select few from three EMC divisions I commonly work with and mostly from people who I know well.

Advanced Software Division (ASD) 

ASD offers a whole ton of products and are updating most if not all of them. But I am going to list a few of the newer technologies like my personal favorite ScaleIO and ViPR.

1. VMAX and ViPR: Storage Management Automation via CLIs and APIs. This is technically an EMSD session but since it is ViPR I am putting it under ASD. Presented by Nilesh Bagad you can check out how to leverage ViPR and your VMAX storage. The abstract: Automating storage management tasks is critical in running an efficient storage environment while reducing operational burden and expense. Such automation is made possible on VMAX by its rich set of APIs (SMI-S, REST) and CLIs (symcli). SDS frameworks such as ViPR leverage VMAX APIs to provide a simple user experience. Attend this session to learn about VMAX CLIs and APIs and how they can be leveraged to build automation and customization of storage tasks.
2. ScaleIO Architecture. Straight-forward session here. Want to know how ScaleIO works? Attend! Even better the presenter is none other than Erez Webman–one of the co-founders of ScaleIO. The abstract: This session provides an in-depth technical overview of the deployment of EMC ScaleIO. Learn how ScaleIO technology is working seamlessly in both physical and virtual environments, how ScaleIO data protection is achieved and how each of the system components is working within real world use cases.
3. Leveraging ScaleIO In Software-Defined Storage Use Cases. After you find out what ScaleIO is this is a great session run by Kevin Closson on when and why you should implement ScaleIO. The abstract: EMC ScaleIO is enabling-software for converged infrastructure. The power and flexibility of ScaleIO is quickly appreciated in database use cases. The reality of hyper-grade, enterprise-class infrastructure with commodity components has never been more realistic than it is with ScaleIO. This session covers architecture and performance characterization of an 8-node Oracle Real Applications Clusters configuration based on ScaleIO. Come learn how ScaleIO unifies industry-leading compute, storage and application software with commodity-level economics while offering fantastic space/power and cooling attributes.
4. Introduction To EMC ScaleIO (Instructor-Led Hands-on Lab). This interested me because for the most part (or maybe entirely) we had gotten rid of instructor-led hands-on labs a year or two ago. Well this year we are offering a instructor led lab which will provide you a great opportunity to learn how to use ScaleIO and ask the questions might want to ask. Note that there is also a self-paced lab too. The abstract: The ScaleIO Introduction vLab provides a demonstration of the ScaleIO product, starting from the basics of the product components and UI, to advanced product capabilities and features that are part of ScaleIO.
5. EMC Project Nile: The World’s First Web-Scale Storage Infrastructure For The Enterprise. Heard about Project Nile and want to know more? Come to this session (and many others) to find out what all the fuss is about. Presenters are Manuvir Das and Vikram Bhambri. The abstract: Project Nile is delivering the world’s first commercially available complete web-scale storage infrastructure for the enterprise data center. This premier session introduces customers to EMC’s Project Nile and talk about the unprecedented value and benefits it delivers. Learn how Project Nile makes the promise of the Software-Defined Data Center a reality for both you and your customers.
6. EMC ViPR & Project Nile: A Lap Around Software-Defined Storage. Let’s add ViPR and Project Nile and conquer the world! See what I mean in this session. Presented by Puneet Lal and Anoop Ninan. The abstract: Concerned with data growth, controlling CapEX and want all the value of a public cloud but at the right price and control point? Then you won’t want to miss this session. Come hear how ViPR and Project Nile can change cloud economics to help you fundamentally redefine your business. This session focuses on key capabilities of ViPR Control Services and Data Services, new product features and will introduce Project Nile – the world’s first commercially available complete web-scale storage infrastructure for your data center.

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Enterprise and Mid-range Storage Division (EMSD)

  A couple different sessions here I want to recommend–mostly around VMAX. Though EMSD also includes VNX and VNXe now too and there are some great sessions around those products as well.

1. VMAX Performance: Get the Most from VMAX Performance Features. Always an excellent and very technical session on new performance features or improvements in existing ones. If you are new to VMAX or a long-time user I can guarantee you will get a lot out of this one. John Adams is the speaker and always hits it out of the park and is always willing to speak with you after about questions you might have. The abstract: Since the general availability of Enginuity 5876 several new performance improvements and new features have been introduced on VMAX, such as Optimized Read Miss (ORM), XtremSW Features, ODX Support, Host I/O Limits and many more, which can affect how customers deploy VMAX. This session discusses the performance impact of these features.                       
2. VMAX Performance: Configuration Best Practices for VMAX in an Open Systems Environment. Another session by the VMAX performance guru John Adams! This is always one of my favorite VMAX sessions as it really helps you understand how the VMAX works and how performance tuning really changes things and how to properly set everything up and importantly: WHY! A can’t-miss for sure. The abstract: Proper configuration choices are critical for Symmetrix performance. There are performance updates to Enginuity 5876 since its general availability. This session focuses on simple “rules of thumb” users can use and remember. Many of the previous lessons learned on VMAX still apply.
3. VMAX and VMware: Better Together. For those VMware and VMAX users out there this is one worth attending. My colleague Drew Tonnesen is giving this and he is the end-all expert on this topic. This session will be demo-driven, showing the integration solutions in practical, everyday use. Great detailed information on this session. The abstract: This session discusses the technical details behind why VMAX is the industry-leading platform for VMware virtualized environments. It discusses the various VMAX-VMware integrations and features, and presents best practices for managing your data center.
4. Analyze, Predict, and Improve performance of virtual environments using VMware vCenter Operations Manager (vC Ops) and EMC Storage Analytics. Phew long title and it pretty much says it all. Drew Tonnesen and Vinay Jonnakuti will be presenting this and between the two of them they have a lot to offer on this topic. If you are interested in buying vCOps or want to find out to better use your current implementation check it out. Furthermore a VMware PM will be doing a short presentation at the end on vCOps 6.0. The abstract: Managing storage in virtualized environments is a big challenge for customers today since storage and VM admins do not share a single view of the system. This results in the lack of end to end visibility that can be used to detect and troubleshoot performance bottlenecks in virtualized environments. EMC Storage Analytics (ESA) is a powerful management tool designed to see across the VNX, VNXe and VMAX storage platforms to provide overall health and risk analytics on structured data. ESA leverages VMware vCenter Operations Manager to take proactive analytics into the storage domain, which provides comprehensive visibility and insights into the performance, capacity, and health of your infrastructure. EMC VMAX and VNX Content Packs for VMware Log Insight, designed for managing unstructured data, gives visibility in to all of the IT infrastructure and applications without the need to know the data beforehand.

Data Protection and Availability Division (DPAD) 

  A few sessions that I would like to highlight–i’ll touch on a few VPLEX ones. There is a lot more than just VPLEX going on in this space at EMC World though!

1. VPLEX: VPLEX Virtual Edition Architecture & Use Cases for 2014. One of the multiple sessions covering the recently announced VPLEX Virtual Edition. This session is by a really smart guy who knows VPLEX like no other, Don Kirouac. There is another VPLEX/VE session too that you might want to check out if you are interested: VPLEX: Introducing VPLEX Virtual Edition. The abstract for Don’s session is: This session reviews the architecture of the new software only version of VPLEX known as VPLEX/VE. VPLEX/VE delivers data mobility and availability across arrays and sites within a VMware infrastructure. VPLEX/VE is a unique technology that enables mission critical applications to remain up and running during any of a variety of planned and unplanned downtime scenarios. VPLEX/VE permits painless, non-disruptive data movement, taking technologies that were built assuming a single storage instance and enabling them to function across arrays and across distance.
2. VPLEX: Advanced Configuration and Design – Performance, Design, Failure Modes, and More. This session is presented by my good friend and colleague Jen Aspesi and for those who want a deep-dive into VPLEX this is one of the sessions not to miss. The abstract: VPLEX is introduced as an inline device to the Storage Area Network. This session covers advanced aspects such as performance, design and failure modes and will allow customers who are interested in the deeper aspects of its performance to design for optimal behavior.
3. Avamar: What’s New In 2014. Attend if you want to see what features and enhancements in the latest Avamar release. The abstract: Learn about the latest features in Avamar 7.1. Topics include: Data Domain integration; vCloud Director plug-in, VMware enhancements, Isilon backup and recovery, new management APIs and so much more.
4. RecoverPoint: Planning & Deployment Best Practices. Setting up RecoverPoint and want to make sure you do it right the first time around? Make this session a stop on your journey through EMC World. The abstract: RecoverPoint delivers a reliable, simple and scalable solution to protect applications in your data center. Proper configuration of the environment can ensure smooth and eventless operation. Grow your environment by adding more sites using Physical or Virtual RecoverPoint Appliances. Use advanced RecoverPoint topologies to meet your business needs. Learn best practices for how to build and configure your RecoverPoint environment properly and ensure uninterrupted data protection.
5. RecoverPoint: Accelerated Recovery For Virtual Environments. RecoverPoint and VMware dovetail quite nicely together for a variety of reasons. Good session to check out if you want to know how! The abstract: RecoverPoint integrations for virtual environments allow simpler management and deployment. This session discusses how to deploy and optimize RecoverPoint in the WMware hypervisor environment.
6. VPLEX: Overview and What’s New for 2014. This is a session for those who want to know about the latest and greatest set of offerings in the VPLEX arena and offered by VPLEX extraordinaire Ashish Palekar himself. The abstract: VPLEX continues to lead the way in providing unmatched continuous availability and mobility capabilities for application data. The latest release for VPLEX and the launch of VPLEX/VE enhance existing use cases and introduce new use cases not previously possible. Come and learn the latest developments from VPLEX and how the new and enhanced use cases will improve your availability and mobility.
7. VNX with VPLEX: Making Continuous Operations Seamless. Another great session by Ashish Palekar for those who well use VPLEX with VNX–you will find out how to make this combo even better. The abstract: VNX with VPLEX are changing the game with respect to continuous operations. This session provides a detailed discussion on how VNX with VPLEX delivers continuous operations: zero downtime and improved resource utilization. The session will cover use-cases and architecture focusing on migrations, VMware and Oracle RAC among others. This session will also cover new use-cases being developed to deliver more value for continuous operations.

This last session doesn’t really fit in a product division but I think it is worth mentioning. I’m a huge fan of birds-of-a-feather (well when done right!) and there are quite a few this year. This one is around building a cloud: Building Your Own Cloud With The EMC Reference Architecture (Birds-of-a-Feather). The abstract: The EMC reference architecture provides you with a blueprint to build your own fit-for-purpose cloud. But, what else do you need to consider? What are the best practices to getting operational? Who do you turn to if you need help? In this interactive BOF, a panel of EMC experts help you answer these questions by sharing the tips, tricks, and best practices they’ve gathered through numberous cloud builds. Phew, that’s it for this post. Tons of sessions available about tons of products and solutions this year–this list only scrapes the surface. But you’ll find me at these sessions at least. More EMC World posts to come!